 He took a year off from his studies at Oxford, and trained with the Leander Club in Henley-on-Thames.The buildup to the Olympics for the GB Men's Rowing Squad was somewhat disrupted due to illness, injury and variable form.Illness to the Eight's stroke – Thomas James – the night before their Heat in the Olympic competition was a particular blow, and while James returned for the repechage, the crew failed to make the final.